It can be desirable to capture a number of images in the form of a time-lapse image sequence in order to track development of a particular object or scene over time. For example: changing weather; growth of plants; changing seasons; development of children etc. are all things which can be monitored using a sequence of images captured at respective different times. The time period of interest can be relatively long—for example, weeks, months, a year, or multiple years, or in certain circumstances can be short.
It is currently difficult for a photographer, especially a consumer photographer, to reliably generate a time-lapse image sequence. This is due to a number of factors including: The time period is typically too long for a image capture device such as a digital camera or videocamera to be left in one place; the camera may be needed for other uses; the location may not be secure enough to leave a camera; or the location may not offer adequate protection against the weather, for example.
Furthermore, in the case of moving/animate objects, such as people for example, the subject needs to be re-positioned before each image is captured in order that a sequence accurately depicts a change in some property of the subject over time.
Conventionally, time-lapse photography is effected by leaving a camera permanently in position and set to automatically take photographs separated by a pre-set time interval. This is inappropriate for the long-term time-lapse photography described above, and for consumer-type image capture devices.